I sit down with a good friend of mine and founder of the @incrediblewomenorg non profit organization, Casey Olaya.
We discuss her path to founding this amazing group and how to channel your inner Beyonce. Life in general can be unpredictable and it is extremely refreshing to see someone who has experienced some career success passing knowledge onto other like minded individuals who are willing and ready for the challenge just needing some guidance.
I enjoyed speaking with Casey and learning everything she stands for and her vision for this organization going forward, I think you will enjoy as well!
***Since the recording of this show incredible women has re branded and can be found @incrediblepeopleorg ***
Casey currently currently works as a privately contracted media consultant for influencers and mid-size startups and corporations. Please reach out to her personally for business inquiries. @caseyolaya

Speaker 1:

0:01

Welcome to the shooting the breeze

Speaker 2:

0:03

podcast, your neighborhood resource in North San Diego County, whether it's businesses, restaurants, or things going on in your community. We have it covered. Thank you so much for tuning in and without further ado, enjoy the show.

Speaker 1:

0:31

Hey, welcome to just shooting the breeze with Geo Ruiz. I'm here with a very special friend of mine who I'm really excited to talk to you about a special project she is working on. Um,

Speaker 3:

0:42

Casey. Hi Geo. How are you? I'm doing really well.

Speaker 1:

0:47

Thanks for taking the time to sit with me today. You are so well. So I wanted to talk to you about us project. You told me you started recently and you are getting the ball rolling. I've seen it on social media and I've seen kind of some of the things we're working on. Why don't you tell us a little bit about incredible women.

Speaker 3:

1:08

Okay. So incredible. Limon is a project that you recently wrapped up but really has been going on for most of my adult life. I've been a big sister to so many women in all kinds of industries and so I decided to take that knowledge and started nonprofit for women in all fields where I pair, I'm junior level of business women with other mentors and kind of help them build their skills and confidence and we also have like a networking group that meets every week and it's sort of like a mastermind class, like a support system. It's a support system. Yeah. So the whole thing. A professional industry. Exactly. Well, so I have, for example, I have somebody who's just starting out in their interior design program and so I paired them with like a woman architect and so they're collaborating and it sort of works as like an old school apprenticeship.

Speaker 1:

2:09

Yeah. So it's like someone who's at the bottom of the ladder and someone was already at the top and you can pair them up and they can show them, hey, this is how you get from point a to five

Speaker 3:

2:18

because I've done it right. And then in turn, the, uh, the mentee, I will say like works as like an unpaid intern, you know, so they do all the grunt work and then exchange, there could be a job placement at the end, there could be a letter of recommendation and then everyone kind of helps each other out in sort of like a barter system kind of way.

Speaker 1:

2:41

Okay. So it's not necessarily like a coaching type way where they're not getting calls regularly or how does that,

Speaker 3:

2:46

it's not really structured that way. So incredible women is like a lot of things. So the main thing is the mentorship, but also we just have supportive groups. Um, people can exchange phone numbers and emails if they want to. They can meet up outside of it. There's a nonprofit, we don't really get anything up from it. There's no membership fee. So, um, like for example, this Friday we're doing an event where we just have this doctor of like ergonomics coming to speak about wellness and stretching and it's just kind of like, how can you help yourself be the best version of yourself and your career in your mindset? Um, once we had the website going, I'll start linking things, so like my favorite podcasts or my favorite books, like how can you just have so much self improvement and through the support of other people and how can you empower yourself to just be what I like to say is like the fiance of your chosen field, just the, at the top of your game at whatever you're doing. And so I think like igniting the mentorship programs, kind of like the first step in realizing oh wait, it's okay to ask for help and it's also like I'm cool to see someone super passionate and maybe I could be like that someday.

Speaker 1:

3:58

So, so when did this start? Like let's go back to the beginning, know when did this start and become a thing and you started organizing this and why did you decide to go with it and why? I guess I'll ask that later, but when did you start off? Like when was this more of just like a then it'd be cool if those people to talk about and it became something that you started organizing.

Speaker 3:

4:18

I think it really started. I mean, we, we've known each other for a really long time, so I was like a young life leader for girls and so I was um, in high school to coaching middle school girls on like how to get through life's things and I would say to them, you know, it's going to be okay someday you're going to be older and it's going to be okay. So really, and then I was like in student leadership and then I was in clubs and everywhere I've been I've kind of just like somehow taken girls and guys I guess like under my wing and just been like, well I rather I show them around and someone's going to lead them into the dark or something. So it kind of was always organically that way. But when it really started hitting was like within the last year of my career has just like my marketing career has just taken off and I started getting promoted quickly and I started having more responsibility.

Speaker 1:

5:10

What? Hold on. I want to put a, a pause, a little mark on the page there. And why don't we talk about your career for a little bit. Why don't you tell me more about like you Casey as an individual before we get into things like a woman entrepreneur. Oh Gosh, that's weird to talk about. Just in general, like, okay. So instead of talking about yourself, how about I just ask you, so why don't you, can you tell me what you were doing before incredible woman or your career path to get to where you are now? What was your job?

Speaker 3:

5:42

Oh Gosh. Like I took so many twists and turns, like I definitely don't have a traditional background. I studied history. I did Americorps in Los Angeles, worked with like inner city youth thinking that I was going to be a history teacher or something. And then I went to Costa Rica and I taught him.

Speaker 1:

6:03

So that's that for me as just your friend was that Kinda like, I just thought you were teaching in Costa Rica. Like I knew, I was like, okay, so he's a teacher in Costa Rica and now I'll probably never see her again because she's in Costa Rica. No, I actually did that because I wanted to learn to speak Spanish, so I like, well that's okay. I don't want to embarrass myself. No, it's cool. Um, yeah, that was my whole

Speaker 3:

6:29

a goal because um, I thought I was going to go back to Los Angeles and work with kids in east la and be like a bilingual nonprofit person and then I ended up not and traveling, living in Europe for a summer. Um, so after you came back from Costa Rica and traveling, how did you get into the professional world? Uh, into marketing? I just, I'm kind of took some, like odd jobs at first and like had to move in with family and then I just started applying. And in Costa Rica actually when I was an English teacher, I was a social media coordinator at the same time. Like I had a double title, like half the day I'd be teaching English and the other half would be like social media. Yeah. Those are two different worlds, right? They're completely different. But I was fortunate enough to have like the school was an American on school and there were like American resorts nearby and social media, like guru people who would like kind of coached me into and I didn't know what I was doing at the time, like 2014. Social media was like a lot different than it is now. It's everywhere now, right? Yeah. So mainly before it was just like posting on facebook while like, do you remember when college kids just. That was what facebook was for.

Speaker 1:

7:44

Yeah, no, I remember being in high school and thinking I can't sign up for facebook yet because I'm not in college. My Gosh. Yeah. I was like, Oh man, my sister is so cool because she can have a facebook. Uh, yeah. Oh Gosh. When we were talking about you got into the marketing while you were in Costa Rica, you're teaching and also managing marketing.

Speaker 3:

8:03

And then I kinda was like, okay. I was like student body president of my high school. I've always been like the most social person ever. And I was like, wow, that makes so much sense to just work in marketing because I'm so like such an organizer like of other people. And I'm so like I dunno not shy about being on stage and I out there getting out there, I'm get, I don't mind getting out there. Like I don't mind doing all that. So I started working in marketing. I worked for like this engineering architecture company that built parts of movie theaters and it was really exciting. I got to fly out to Las Vegas and go to conferences and like it was really cool, like 25 or whatever. You're like, Oh yeah, look at me, you know, I was like getting on planes. Then getting like I'm compensated hotel rooms and like going to see movie theaters and seeing construction and taking photos and schmoozing and living the dream. Living the dream. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

8:56

I live in the 25 year old dream. But then what did you say live in the beyonce version? I was like, oh, I hate. I'm the beyonce of marketing in this field. Literally little did you know you were like destiny's child. Beyonce at that point, you hadn't really blossom. I'm not beyonce. Beyonce. Yeah. I didn't like. No, no, no. You're like, what is your role and the other one? Early two thousands. Beyonce now. Not like fully that. That'd be really cool. Like, I don't know, I just considered myself like a little kid. I don't know if I am to be a beyonce but I definitely still have a messy room and wash my dishes right away and stuff. So you were with the architect company and how long were you with them?

Speaker 3:

9:37

Like a little over a year. Not that.

Speaker 1:

9:40

Oh, okay. And what, what caused you to go and where did you go?

Speaker 3:

9:44

Um, so I'm a nerd, like I am somewhere and I like study something, like I try to master things to get into something. You want to get into it? Yeah. I like, I just like, like I have blinders on and you just get into it. So I really like mastered my job, like my job description within like six months. Um, and then I started feeling like I needed more and more and more inside, like actively start poaching for jobs or jobs, like um, things that we could bid on online. And then I started teaching myself all these different things about marketing. I taught myself to build a website from the ground up. I like taught myself all these things because I was just bored. Are you learning these things? How are you teaching yourself? Like youtube honestly, like Youtube podcasts, like business insider, like anything that I can get my hands on.

Speaker 3:

10:33

I'm someone who like, I love learning. So I'm like right now reading three books at the same time, kind of ran with it. You grabbed that idea. And I also am like, I'm pretty competitive. I don't know. So I just saw like other people like peers in marketing and I was like, I can do that. And then I just was like, yeah, I know I didn't go to school for this, but like I just have ta, um, I'm willing to spend the time. And so I basically got to this point where, well, uh, about like 10 months in or something, I asked for like a review and I read all this stuff on business insider that was like, how to ask for a raise, you know, and I was just like, Oh yeah, I'm gonna do this and that. I was like, I'm going to get all this data. And then I started compiling all the data of like, all this stuff I've done and I realized like, Holy Crap, I've just increased the revenue of the entire company, multimillion dollar company by 34 percent,

Speaker 1:

11:22

that's a lot.

Speaker 3:

11:25

And so when I went in I was like, oh my God, I like literally had all these data charts. And I was like. And when I presented it to my boss, he was like, yeah, yeah, you kind of raised like, yeah, yeah. And then I was able to negotiate from 10 percent up to 15 percent for you. That is awesome. And I was like, I think it was like 26 or something and I was just like, oh man, I can't believe that. I like the whole time I was just like sweating and not feeling that confident, but the ones I did I was like, I can literally do anything.

Speaker 1:

11:56

So you did a little more than just like how to get a raise on Google, like I think is what most people do. But it sounds like, you know, you took the time and I might've like watch some, like floggers, you know, and I'd be watching like, you know, like I'm, I just nerd out on the Internet and um, yeah. And so pull me up like I want to do it, let's go. I'm like, Gosh, it would scare you how I negotiated with scarier, scared one of my friends in San Francisco. Okay. I'll tell you this

Speaker 3:

12:27

story that we can go back to it, but okay. So I was with my friend, um, one of my best friends up there and we were in an uber and the guy had the uber driver had like this super nice car and I was just thinking like, why are you driving for Uber? Like you're clearly like rich. And it was like this English guy who was driving and then I said, I'm like, I just asked him like, what do you do for work? And he told me he's like a realtor at Pacific or Sotheby's golden gate or whatever, and he's like this top producer guy or whatever, and I was talking to him and, and then he, he was like, what do you do? And then I said, well I'm a former, like head of marketing of a real estate company in San Diego. And then he was like, really? And then by the end of it I negotiated into like him offering me a job like in that uber within like

Speaker 1:

13:14

ubering though if he's offering jobs because

Speaker 3:

13:17

he just likes people and he just like drives down on like a very long commute and just picks people up I guess on the way. And then he just goes home. But I don't know, I looked him up. He's like pretty big deal. Like I still have his business card and stuff. One of my friends was just like, oh my God, where did that come from? It's like you turn into like Business Casey and then you just start going and I'm like, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

13:37

No, I don't want other people to see me like that. You to have the switch ready? Yeah, I know. So. So that's your background. And then from the architect place you went to the real estate real estate. Yeah. And then you were the head of marketing there.

Speaker 3:

13:50

I didn't start off that way, but yeah, I came in as a coordinator.

Speaker 1:

13:53

And then you just kind of leveraged your way up kind of like you'd been.

Speaker 3:

13:56

Well I, I took initiative, um, they had a logo design from like 2005 that had not been updated and I just said can I have a go at like changing the logo? And I had interned in graphic design and so, and I'd been doing graphic design like as a side hustle for like years. So I just was like, can I like have a go at changing it? And I went through like 10 revisions. I had to meet with all these agents. I have to like all this stuff and I ended up redesigning the whole company, like all 10 offices, all the signs, like I designed the logo, the style guide. It was like the biggest thing of my career. And I did that. I started in April and by May, like May 15th, we launched, like, I did all of that and I created like a timeline.

Speaker 3:

14:41

I'd never done anything like that before. I was like looking at. I didn't never did a style guide before. I had to go and research all of it. I went and on the weekends and I just like sometimes I get an idea and I just have to do it. Um, so yeah, I think all of that redesigning their, all their collateral and their listing presentations and all that stuff kind of like helped me gain traction. And I don't know, this is a lot because like I started an internal marketing agency to like within the company.

Speaker 1:

15:16

So this is all like exactly like what I think people know about you, you are, you want, you know, about marketing you. And this is kind of why people started asking you questions about career, right? Yes, exactly. Kind of how incredible women came to be. So the beginning of the podcast, obviously we talk about incredible woman a little bit and how it's a mentorship program and it stemmed from Casey being asked, hey, I see you're being successful in your career, what pointers can you give me? And so casey had always been in a position of coaching. Right? So just kind of summing it up, what I have understood and you, you took your experience of being a leader to, you know, middle school kids, high school kids as you growing up in youth groups and just applied it to the business and business world, job market and peers. Right?

Speaker 3:

16:07

Yeah. I just, I think that the key to success in what I read a lot, like Tony Robbins is one of my biggest heroes. I read like everything he has, I listen to all his stuff. I'm just really, really hungry for knowledge. And Tony Robbins always says, you know, I'm really, really hungry for knowledge and I know that like, I like for me a lot of people who like let's like have the carrot dangling in front of them being money, like I don't think people will actually ever be successful, but for me I just genuinely find topics into interesting and then I just learned about them and I become like obsessive. Like branding is something I am obsessive about. So like I would say if I were to like be in like some kind of corporate career again and not, you know, like it would probably be as a brand strategist because literally like I can, like I can look at a company and then create a human personality through photos, graphics content. Like very cool. Yeah. As I'm obsessed with it, but maybe too much. I work too much.

Speaker 1:

17:11

I mean, it sounds like you have are shooting for the stars and on your way to it. So

Speaker 3:

17:16

got to land on the moon as beyonce.

Speaker 1:

17:19

Incredible women. Where can people find out more about a credible winner?

Speaker 3:

17:22

We only have an instagram. Um, but we have an event this Friday which is at we work b street. Okay. Follow us on instagram. It's just incredible women Org and you'll get updated there with everything that we have going on. And then literally just dms your email and then I'll put you on the email list. So yeah.

Speaker 1:

17:41

Incredible women on instagram and send them a DM. Is this only women?

Speaker 3:

17:46

No, no, no, no, no, no. So we, um, we actually, our branding our colors, it's like a, um, it's like a blend of blue, purple to pink and it just really means anyone who kind of supports equality and like wants women to thrive in any kind of business or once people to thrive really. So we have a lot of men come to our meetings, like we're this Friday like a man is going to speak who is a doctor told me that. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just because he's somewhat supportive of the human community. So really it's more of like a humanitarian network that if anything, but it's just women need it more than, you know, like everything going on and like um, the pay gap between genders and a lot of women feel like they're not qualified to even apply to high level jobs, which is kind of ridiculous. It's just like they think like, oh, executive position isn't for me and the, to me that's kind of sad. But that's the whole point of it. Yeah. It's like, Hey, it's with my, our tagline is actually like, you can be brave. Just the coolest thing. You can be brave. So check them out on instagram guys, learn more about what they're doing and remember, you can be brave. Hashtag you can be brave.

Speaker 2:

18:55

Hey, thanks for tuning into shooting the breeze with God really is the music for this episode is called Soda Pop and you can check it out at Purple Planet Dot Com along with more of their work. If you liked this episode, share it with somebody you know and if you're looking to buy or sell a home in San Diego County, work with a realtor who knows your neighborhood, check out Geo Ruiz real estate.com for more information. Until next time, take care.